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LL: So getting back to your father, in the hotel, did he own the hotel, and what was the name of the hotel?

MI: It was, one hotel that he owned was the Rainier Hotel, which is no longer there, I understand. It was torn down for a parking lot or something, and there was another one, apartment house, which is called the San Marco Apartments, which he owned, and he bought that a long time ago, I can't even remember the year. 'Cause I remember dealing with the business end of it, and it was beyond my comprehension. I didn't know what was going on. But he was able to handle it, and I was certainly old enough to know what was going on, but I didn't. And so I was completely in the dark about how he was able to manage that. But he did a good job.

LL: You mentioned that some of the workers, some of the people that would stay in the hotel were workers from the railroad?

MI: Uh-huh.

LL: Were they mostly men?

MI: Yeah, they were mostly men. They were conductors or whoever those people are that wander around the train cars and dispense refreshments, I think they're in two different categories, but those were the ones that stayed at my dad's place.

LL: And that community, in addition to being Nihonmachi, was also, they mentioned there was a Jewish community there, and then a little bit later the Chinese community, and also the African American community and the Greek community. So do you remember the different communities or...

MI: I don't remember specifically. The Jewish community I remembered because I went to school with the kids, but I don't remember Chinese or... who else was there?

LL: You mentioned the Greek community or African Americans.

MI: I don't remember because I didn't go to school with any of them.

LL: So were the tenants or the people that stayed at the hotel members of these communities?

MI: No, they were all Caucasian.

LL: And you mentioned your friend that you used to swap lunches with.

MI: Oh, yeah. [Laughs]

LL: And she was Jewish?

MI: Yes, she was Jewish.

LL: Do you remember her name?

MI: Yeah, her name was Joan Abrams, A-B-R-A-M-S.

LL: And did she, you met her through school?

MI: I met her through school, and we shared lunches together.

LL: And then getting back to your brother, he was a younger brother, but did you play together when you were young?

MI: Yeah, we got along very well. He was a very good brother, and he was a good man, and I just lost him too early. He was only eighty... well, "only," that isn't right either. But I was trying to figure out exactly how old he was, and I can't tell you, even though he was three years younger than I, I can't tell you how old he was. I just don't remember.

LL: So did you or your brother ever get into trouble as kids?

MI: Believe it or not, we didn't. You'd think we would, because we were right in the heart of Nihonmachi, and there were a lot of kids around. But for some reason, we were okay.

LL: Lot of opportunity to get attention?

MI: There were a lot of opportunities. [Laughs]

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2013 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.